Pick Your Poison: Monday 3-17-14

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I’m not any part Irish, nor do I pretend to be, but there’s a certain amount of appreciation I have for the holiday. Mostly that stems from how the general public have managed to turn a fictional tale about a saint who drove all of the snakes out of Ireland into one of the biggest drinking days/weekends of the year. Because St. Patrick’s Day is on a Monday this year, many partied over the weekend with green beer and parades because they have to work on the actual holiday. As a social drinker who knows a number of people with plenty of Irish coursing through their veins, I felt obliged to tag along for some shenanigans, and boy was it a mess. Drunk people everywhere, bars packed to capacity with lines a half block long, and more green clothing items and accessories than you know what to do with. It’s pretty much the same nightmare that occurs at bars every year on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, though the annoyance factor is turned up a notch. I don’t mean to complain, because any reason to go out and party is pretty much a good one, but some people just take it a little too far. You know what they called St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland today? Monday. They called it Monday. Some of my friends went to Ireland a few years ago for the holiday, and said the bars weren’t any more packed than usual, no green beer was served, and everyone was dressed in normal street clothes. I guess St. Patrick’s Day over there isn’t so much a holiday as it is a lifestyle. Maybe Americans could learn a thing or two when it comes to appropriating other cultures’ special days. Fun as this holiday can be, toning it down just a little bit might make it a little easier for everyone to stomach. Okay, I’ve said my piece. Let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison. Good tracks today come from ALIZZZ, Broken Records, Howson’s Groove, Kinetics, Okey Szoke, Rasputin’s Secret Police and Unicycle Loves You. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Friendly Fires, Fuck Buttons, Hercules & Love Affair, School of Language, Tensnake and Wye Oak.